Holder for upright staffs and the like



Dec. 4, 1945. F. A. BURTON 2,390,292

HOLDER FOR UPRIGHT STAFFS AND THE LIKE Filed Jan. 17, 1944 ZSheets-Sheet1 O INVENTOR.

Frank Eru T on z! I BY Q ATTORNEYS.

Dec. 4, 1945. F. A. BURTON 2,390,292 7 HOLDER FOR UPRIGHT STAFFS AND THELIKE Filed Jan. 17, 1944 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 FIG. 4.

INVENTOR.

F1" ank A Eur-Tun If l g ATTORNEYS.

Patented Dec. 4, 1945 HOLDER FOR UPRIIfiIKdT STAFFS AND THE 2 Frank A.Burton, Poplar Blufi, Mo. Application January 17, 1944, Serial No.518,614

3 Claims.

This invention relates to holders or suDpQ for maintaining members, suchas staffs or the like, in upright positions, and more particularly tosuch a support, including legs to grip the lower portion of the member.An important object of the invention is to provide a means for firmlysupporting, in an upright position, an elongated slender member, such asa flag staff, or a broader, but elongated member, such as a Christmastree.

Another important object is to provide a support or holder for suchmembers which support or holder for such members is of light weight andthe body portion of which may be readily cut or stamped from a sheet ofsuitable material and then folded into shape.

Still another important object is to provide a support, as describedabove, which is particularly adapted as a holder for table-sizeChristmas trees, flags and the like, and is so constructed that it willnot mar the table top or other surface upon which it is placed.

Another object is to provide such supports, which may be readily nestedfor shipment and storage. i I

Yet another object is to provide a staff holder which may be constructedfrom a pair of blanks formed from suitable lengths of stock, the shapeof the blanks being such that the quantity of waste stock is small.

Other objects and advantages of this invention will be apparent duringthe course of the following detailed description, taken in connectionwith the accompanying drawings, forming a part of this specification andin which drawings:

Figure 1 is a perspective View of the novel support or holder,supporting an upright member.

Figure 2 is a top plan view of the support, with the member inhorizontal section.

Figure 3 is a side elevation of the novel support.

Figure 4 is a vertical section substantially upon the line 4-4 of Figure2.

Figure 5 is a side elevation of the same, collapsed.

Figure 6 is a vertical section substantially upon the line 66 of Figure5.

Figure 7 is a side elevation of one of two like portions, constitutingthe new support.

Figure 8 is a blank of one of either of the two like portions making upthe legs of the support.

Figure 9 is a vertical sectional View, somewhat similar to Figure 4, butillustrating employment of the holder in supporting a member of greaterdiameter than the member of Figure 4.

In the drawings, wherein for the purpose of illustration is shown apreferred embodiment of the invention and wherein similar referencecharacters designate corresponding parts throughout the several views,the letter A may designate the novel support o holder; B, the blank forone-half thereof; and the letters C and D members supported by theholder.

The novel holder or support A comprises two substantially like portionsII] which may be of any suitable springy or resilient material or stocksuch as heavy cardboard or sheet metal, and a means II for joining themtogether and attaching the supported member C or D thereto.

The portions IIJ include a pair of hollow, upwardly converging legs I2,each having an elongated narrow bottom wall section I3, which joins thebottom wall section I3 of the other of the pair by a joining section I4so that the bottom wall sections I3 and joining section I4 arepreferably integral and are, of course, of the springy or resilientmaterial or stock referred to above.

Extending upwardly from each bottom wall section I3 is a pair of sidewall Sections I5, with the upper edge I6 of each forming, with thebottom wall section I 3, an acute angle, while the inward edge I! ofeach side wall section I5 forms, with the bottom Wall section I3 anobtuse angle. As a result the upper or top wall section I8 of each legI2, which extends from the side wall sections I5, projects fartherinwardly than does its associated bottom wall section I3. With thisconstruction, the top wall section I8 slopes upwardly and inwardly.

There is no inner wall section but, since the material may be cardboard,in order to provide a sturdy construction, there may be provided an endflap I9 connected along one side of each top wall section I8 and adaptedto lie against one side wall section I5, as shown particularly inFigures 1, 6 and '7, where it may be secured to the side wall section inany approved manner, as by suitable fasteners or rivet members 20.

At the outermost end M of each leg I2, the bottom wall section I3 andtop wall section I5 of each leg come together, with the top wall sectionbearing upon the bottom wall section as in Figures 4 and 9.

Means to embrace and grip a portion of the 'lower part of the members Cor D is provided and comprises the wall 22 of an arcuate recess orreentrant opening at the upper end of the top wall section I5 of eachleg I2. These arcuate openings extend around portions of the peripheryof the staff, tree or the like, particularly as shown in Figures 1 and2.

Means H for joining the two portions I!) together with the joiningsections M of each portion l crossed, as in Figures 4 and 9, maycomprise a fastener, such as a nail, tack or screw, inserted, with itshead 24 downward and its shank 25 extending through the two overlappingsections 14 and into the lower end 26 of a member C or D supported bythe holder A, as in Figures 4 and 9.

Since each portion It] may be constructed from a single sheet ofsuitable material or stock, a

novel blank is shown in Figure 8. In this blank the correspondingsections of the portions 10 are given corresponding referencecharacters. Paralleling fold lines 30 define the side edges of thebottom wall sections I3 and two of these lines 30, together with thefold lines 3| define one side wall of each pair.

Fold lines 32, with the paralleling fold lines 3! define the sides ofthe top wall sections I8, which sections, it will be noted are narrowerthan the bottom wall sections l3, and the fold lines 32 and the edges 33define the sides of the flaps H3.

The left-hand fold lines 30 together with the edges 34 define the sidesof the side wall sections IE not directly attached to the top wallsections IS. The edges 25, 26 and 31 of the side wall sections andbottom and top wall sections, respectfully, define the outermost andlowermost ends of the legs I2 while the sloping opposite edges l! of.the side wall section [5 provide for the jutting of the top walls l8over the inner ends of, the bottom walls l3, as noted.

7 The reentrant openings 39 are of course defined by their walls 22 asheretofore stated. Suitable spaced-apart perforations 40 may be providedfor the fasteners 20, and a perforation 4| may be provided for thefastener 25.

Economy in the use of stock is assured, since there is but little wastestock. The edges 33. and 34 of adjacent blanks are nearly parallel, ortwo blanks With their edges 33 together, may be stamped out from thestock.

There is but little space employed in shipping or storing piles of theblanks, and they may be readily folded into shape and two combined toform a holder.

In folding, the side wall sections 15 may be folded along the fold lines30 upwardly and slightly inwardly, the top wall sections, l8 foldedalong the fold lines 3| to face the bottom wall sections i3, and theflaps l9 folded downwardly to contact and parallel one side Wall sectionIt of each pair, whereupon the fasteners 20 may be inserted. Then twoportions l0 may be crossed at their joining sections I2 and securedtogether with a fastener 25. I

In inserting a member C or D into the holder A, the member C Or D may betipped so that the lower end 26 is raised andinserted into the holderwhereupon the means ll may be driven into the end 26. Upon standing theholder A upon a suitable horizontal surface with the mem ber C or Dupright, the joining sections 14 of the holder will arch as in Figures 4and 9 due to, the fact that, when the bottom is substantially flat, asin Figures 5 and '7, the upper inner ends of the top wall sections itare quite close together (in any case opposite pairs of upper inner endsare closer together a distance less than the diameter of the lower end28 of a member C or D) and when these ends of the top- Walls spreadapart to embrace the lower end 26, this spreading causes the resilientjoining sections [4 to arch upwardly. The weight of the member, however,tends to press downwardly upon this arch and thus forces the legs intogripping contact with the members C and D.

From Figures 4, 6 and 7 it will be seen that a particularly sturdyconstruction is provided, even and the like, a pair of crossing,substantially like, 7

continuous portions, each portion comprising a. pair ofupwardly-converging legs and a joining section of springy materialextending from the inner lowermost end of one leg to the like end ofvthe opposite leg, each leg having a bottom wall section, upwardlyconverging side wall sections joining the sides of the bottom wallsection, and a top wall section joining the sides of the side wallsections and sloping upwardly and inwardly towards the center of saidsupport, the uppermost end of each of said top wall sections beingprovided with an arcuate reentrant opening, and

means joining said like portions where their join-V ing sectionsoverlap, the length of each leg being such that when said bottom wallsections and joining sections are substantially fiat, the ends of saidtop walls, provided with said arcuate openings, will be spaced apart ashort distance and when said bottom Wall sections are upwardly andinwardly converging and said joining. sections are upwardly arched, saidends of said top .wall will be spaced apart a greater distance,

2. In a cardboard support for a vertically-disposed staff and likemember, four upwardly and,

inwardly inclined legs, each leghaving a, bottom wall of resilientcardboard material with e the wall extending from the inner end of011616,;

to the spaced-apart inner end of the opposite leg, opposite, angularside walls extending from said bottom wall, and a top wall joining saidside walls and longer than said bottom Wall, said top wall having meansto embracea portion of the lower part of a member inserted into saidsupport, comprising walls defining an arcuate recess member bearing uponthose sections of said bot-- tom walls extending from the inner end ofeach leg.

3. As an article of manufacture a blank for' a pair of legs of a staffholder, comprising a sheet of resilient stock, provided with a narrow,elon-- gated leg bottom section, a pair of angular; legside wallsections extending alon each side of said bottom section, from each endthereof and ending short of the transverse axis of said bottom section,one sidewall section of eachgpair being disposed upon one side of saidbottom sec tion, and the other side wall section of each pair beingdisposed upon the other sideof said bottom section, the first named sidewall section or:

each pair having an outward extension, providing a top wall section andan outward extension beyond said first outward extension, providing aflap, the longitudinal axis Of either of said top wall sections formingan acute angle with the longitudinal axis of said bottom section and theends of said top wall sections farthest from said bottom wall sectionhaving an arcuate reentrant opening, all of said side wall sectionsbeing foldable along longitudinal fold lines between them and saidbottom section, said top wall sections being foldable along longitudinalfold lines between them and their adjacent side wall sections and alongsaid flaps, and said flaps bein foldable along longitudinal fold linesbetween them and said top wall sections, to lie in contact with thesecond named side wall sections of each pair.

FRANK A. BURTON.

